Fans make racing on Alpe d'Huez (once again) nearly impossible; Pogacar gestures, Evenepoel suffers

Many cycling fans were looking forward to the finish at Alpe d'Huez in Stage 19 of the Tour de France, but in the days leading up to the stage, the riders had already feared the scenario that unfolded on Friday. The final climb was fairly passable in some sections, and in the final stretch, the barriers did their job. However, for kilometers on end, riders had to climb with their backsides pressed together. This made racing impossible.

Of course, in recent years, Alpe d'Huez has often been the scene of simply too many fans on a mountain. Some people had been there for a week, and judging by the expressions on many supporters’ faces, many of them probably won’t even remember exactly what happened on Saturday. It was quite a sight, but the riders, of course, weren’t too thrilled about it.

"I hope nothing goes wrong, but well... we'll see," said Pogacar, the yellow jersey wearer from UAE Emirates-XRG. "I'm looking forward to Alpe d'Huez, although it can be a little scary sometimes how narrow the road gets because of the fans. Hopefully they'll set up ropes and barriers starting at the base for the last 5 kilometers. We'll see how extreme it is," added Remco Evenepoel.

After his dominant victory, Pogacar spoke of a “bizarre atmosphere” on Alpe d’Huez. Along the way, however, he must have been absolutely terrified. For kilometers on end, the riders had to navigate a narrow path lined with fans, unsure of exactly where the road went and hoping that no overzealous supporters would linger too long. Pogacar’s gestures—whenever things got a little too close for comfort—spoke volumes.

Evenepoel also had to deal with narrow passages, especially when he decided to attack outside the final stretch, which was lined with fences. The Belgian rider from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe made a strong breakaway, but was stopped almost immediately by motorcycles riding in front of him that had nowhere to go. In the end, Evenepoel did manage to gain some time on the riders behind him in the general classification.